Car-coupling.



F. M. & H. E. DIGMAN.

GAR COUPLING.

APPLIOATION rum) JUNE 1a, 1013.

1 1 1 6,25 1 Patented Nov. 3, 1914 Fig 1.

Qmi/lueoow 277207.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

FRANCIS M. DIGMAN AND HARRY E. DIGIVIAN, OF WITT. ILLINOIS.

can-consume.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Nov. 3, 1914.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, FRANCIS M. DIGMAN and HARRY E. DioMAN, citizens of the United States, residing at W'itt, in the county of Montgomery and State of Illinois, have invented new. and useful Improvements in CanCouplings, of which the following is a specification.

The present invention relates to improvements in couplers for cars, and especially for mine cars. i

In carrying out our invention, it is our purpose to provide a couplerin the form of a ball and socket joint which is so arranged upon the cars as to prevent the accidental uncouplingthereof and which are also so arranged that the members of the coupler will be sustained in longitudinal alinement with each other regardless of the angular relation of the cars to which the couplers are secured. WVe also aim to provlde a coupler of this class wherein the members may be easily and quickly connected and also whereby the said members may be easily and quickly disconnected when desired,

A still further object of the invention is the provision of a coupler which shall embody the desirable features of simplicity in construction, cheapness to manufacture, ease of application, and accuracy and surety in operation.

With the above and other objects in view, the improvement resides in the construction, combination and arrangement of parts set forth in the following specification and falling within the scope of the appended claims.

In the drawings: Figure 1 is a view of two cars connected in accordance with our improvement, Fig. 2 is a View illustrating the manner of connecting or disconnecting the coupler members, parts being shown in section, Fig. 3 is a detail perspective View of one of the couplers, and Fig. 4: is a similar view of the co-acting coupling member.

\Vhile in the accompanying drawings, the improvement is illustrated in connection with two mining cars, it is to be understood that the device is not to be thus limited in its useful capacity, as thesame may be applied to other vehicles, if desired.

In the drawings, 1 and 2 designate the cars, each of which has its end sills provided with one or more loosely connected links 3, and each of the links engages Within an eye 4: provided upon each of the coupler members 6 and 5 respectively.

' formed.

communicates with the bore 8. The thimble has a lower flat face which is slotted longitudinally, as at 10, the said slot entering the reduced flange mouth of the thimble and the opposite end of the slot terminates in a rounded opening 11 which enters the bore 8.

The second coupler member 6 has its face centrally formed with a longitudinally extending stem 12 which terminatesin a spherical or ball head13. The face of the coupler 6 is in the nature of a flat peripheral rounded member or flange 14, and it is upon this portion that the eye 4 is is provided with the substantially key-hole shaped opening formed by the slot 10 and its annular terminal 11 has its end rounded, as at 15, to the outer face of the thimble.

The links 3 provide a sufficient slackness. between the coupler members to permit of.

shoulder 9, when the flat. inner face of the body portion of the coupler 6 may be swung over the rounded lower edge 15 of the coupler 5 and the flange 14: of the coupler 6 brought into tight frictional engagement with the outer ends of the coupler 5. The stem 12 is of suflicient length and the shoulder 9 is spaced a suilicient distance from the end of the coupler 5 to permit of the coupling members being retained in frictional engagement and in longitudinal alinement when the said coupling members are associated regardless of the slack of the links or the angular arrangement of the links. when the cars are rounding curves, so that it is impossible for the couplers to be- The flat face of the thimble .5

come accidentally disassociated, andin order to uncouple the cars, it is absolutely necessary that the coupler 5 be tilted upwardly to the position illustrated. in Fig. 2, before 5 the members of the coupler can be disconnected.

From the above description, taken in con nection with the accompanying drawings, the simplicity of the device as well as the 10 advantages thereof will; it is thought, be perfectly apparent to those skilled in the art to which such inventions"appertain without further detailed description.

Having thus described the invention, What we claim is:

In a car coupler, two members each adapted to be loosely connected to a car, one of said members comprising a thimble having its open end reduced to provide a shoulder between the said end and the bore of the thilnble, said thimble having a longitudinal flat surface which is rounded to the open end of the thimble, the said flat surface having a longitudinal slot which communicates 23 with the shouldered end of the thimble, the

said fiat surface being provided with an annular opening of a greater area than the slot and communicating with the slot, the second coupler comprising a member having an untegralfiat flange which is centrally formed with a longitudinal shank which has spheric'ali head formed on its end the shank being face of the tl'ilHllOIG member, whereby the flange and head will frictionally engage with the bore and flatsurfaces of the thimble and the head'passe'd through the annular opening in the bore and moved toward the shoulder, and also whereby the said head' and flange will frictional'ly engage between the shoulder and the end wall of the sleeve when the second coupler member is brought into longitudinal alinement with the thimb'le to sustain the said second coupler member in such alinement with the thimble.

In testimony whereof we afiix our signatures in presence of two. witnesses.v

FRANCIS M. DIGMAN. HARRY E. DIGMAN.

lVitnesses:

W. P. IIAGTHROP," J. F. B'oLnN.

Copies of this patent maybe obtained for fivecents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

' Washington, D. G. 

